


Dragon Ball Z: The Bodacious Father and the Genial Son

by Indigex



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-05-30 23:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19413220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indigex/pseuds/Indigex
Summary: The story you love, but with a twist! (Like every other fanfiction) This story has the father of Goku Bardock, flee Planet Vegeta to live to fight another day! Will Bardock and Goku defeat Frieza? Or is the Saiyan Race Truly doomed? Find out whenever you decide to read this!





	1. Self-Exiled Warrior

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome guys to my first ever fanfiction on this site. As the title says, this is a Dragon Ball Fanfic about Bardock, the father of Goku. However, instead of fighting Frieza and dying, he flees to pursue Goku to Earth. I plan on posting these every Saturday (maybe, I might get lazy-uhh I mean I might be busy), and another thing. A lot of scenes that were great fights in the anime/manga will unfortunately not get as much spotlight as you may want. I don't want to repeat the original franchise, and I want to mostly focus on what’s different in the events and characters. If something does change, I will put the focus on it. I hope you enjoy and don't be afraid to shower me with criticism, I wanna hear it all!
> 
> (Also posted by me on Fanfiction.net)

**Planet Vegeta**

A pod begins to arrive in the red atmosphere of Planet Vegeta. Inside is a heavily injured, angry man. His breath is ragged, his armor soaked with blood, and his fists shaking with rage. “Dangit, with these injuries, I might not be able to get there in time.” Bardock kicks the pod open and flies out towards the capital city. “I have to tell King Vegeta about Frieza, it's the best way to get help. But if we do fight back towards him, will my visions still be true? Will Kakarot still face Frieza?”

As soon as Bardock made it to the capital, he asks the palace guards “Is the king here”. “No,” the guards say “He left for some mission I think” “ _ Good, _ ” Bardock thinks as he flies away, “ _ He must have learned of Frieza’s plot. But...would it still be enough? My vision predicted Tora’s death, so will the planet still blow up? No, no way, that can't be it.”  _ But as Bardock was beginning to fly away, his mind exploded with another vision.

_ “WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”  _ The baby Kakarot was crying fiercely, almost as if he were mourning a death. “Agh!” Bardock grew a headache, his head flaring with visions of his planet blowing up, his people being incinerated in hellfire. “No, it's useless, we can't win…” For the first time in his life, Bardock admitted defeat. He fought countless warriors, never backing down despite the threats, but now, he felt true despair. “Kakarot is our only hope, I must train him into a fighter that will avenge the Saiyans!” 

Bardock flew back into the capital, and quickly flew into the royal palace ship base! Sirens shouted as the soldiers cried “We have an intruder!” Soldiers stormed Bardock, blasting him and beating him. Bardock’s mind swirled with Kakarot’s wails, repeated images of his planet turning to ash. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, KAKAROT”. Bardock releases a swirl of energy, pushing all the soldiers back. With a burst of speed, Bardock rockets through the men, not caring about his injuries or the hits he gains. He reaches the ship base and threatens a guard into opening the ship. Bardock knocks the guard out, takes the remote and looks for the proper controls. “Cmon, cmon, I’m running out of time!” Bardock clicks the ship to life and blasts off into space.

Bardock turns to his window, sighing. He wishes he could've warned his people, but they probably would've called him crazy. He trembles with shame for running away from a fight. His thoughts get interrupted by a sudden flash of orange and red light. Bardock’s heart skips a beat, as he watches his planet get destroyed. For a second, he even senses Frieza and Dodoria’s glee. Instead of getting angry, Bardock succumbs to his injuries and passes out.


	2. The Old Man's Promise

**Barren Planet**

“ _ THUNK”  _ A shocking thump forms in Bardock’s head, feeling cold and numbing. Bardock wakes up from the floor and touches his head, only half-awake. “Crap, I let myself pass out, now I let myself get off track.” Bardock stumbles over to the control panel and turns on a map of all the planets the Frieza Force has documented. He selects Earth, looks at its coordinates, and sets the ship to follow the fastest way to Earth. “Even with a measly power level of 2, Kakarot should still be safe.”

**Mount Pzaou**

A few days later, Bardock finally arrives on Planet Earth. He lands in a barren wasteland, and slowly walks out of the ship, still heavily injured. As soon as he steps foot in the desert, he gets a roaring sensation in his brain. “This again, will these damn visions ever stop, I’ll go insane.” But this sensation felt different, like an actual substance. It was pointing Bardock to another place, to the east. “Hmm, I wonder what it could be-” Bardock’s eyes trace up, but panic, as he sees’ the full moon in the sky. “Crap! I don’t have time to turn into a Great Ape, I’ve wasted enough time already. But...if the full moon’s out, Kakarot must have transformed too. Hehe, have fun kid, just don't hurt yourself.” Bardock looks down and walks back inside his ship to wait out the night.

The next morning, Bardock flew to the place where he felt that powerful presence. “That power I felt must have been Kakarot.” Bardock notices an Attack Ball in the distance, and lands near it. “I wonder where he went. Bardock travels around the lush forest, kicking down the occasional sabertooth tiger and bandit. Eventually, he finds a small home, with an elderly man bathing a child.

“Here you go, Goku,” said Grandpa Gohan. Gohan turns and finds Bardock. “Hello there! Are you a wandering traveler?” Bardock ignores the greeting, declaring, “Listen, old man, that baby you see right there is mine. Hand him over.” “Oh!” Grandpa Gohan says “Why now that I took a closer look, you do have his hair. Well, its only right for me to give you to your own father, Goku. It was fun while it lasted!” 

Right then, Bardock faded out again. In a flash, he saw Kakarot’s childhood and early adulthood pass by, with a final image of a reddened Goku firing a giant blue wave against a purple. Bardock swallowed, unsure of what to do. “ _ If I take Kakarot and raise him myself, will he still be the same Kakarot that will fight Frieza?”  _ Gohan places Kakarot in Bardock’s hands and says “I can let you stay for the night if you want.” Bardock sighs, and looks at Kakarot and the old man solemnly. “Look, old man, listen to what I’m about to tell you.” Grandpa Gohan turns, interested. “I need you to take care of my son, alright. Him growing up with you will be the best for both me and him. When he’s an adult, I’ll come back for him. But make sure you keep him alive and healthy, or else I’ll deal with you.” Gohan nods, “Of course, I’ll take care of him no matter what! But what is his name? I want to respect his birth name.” “No,” Bardock says. “Name him whatever you want. In fact, don't mention our conversation to him at all. Have him grow up never knowing about me, okay?” “I won’t question your judgment, albeit it may be strange.” Gohan states. Bardock gives Kakarot back to Gohan and prepares to fly away. “W-wait” Gohan stutters. “Last night, that baby made a strange transformation into a giant ape once he looked at the full moon! I know it sounds crazy, but-” “Oh yeah, that. Don't even bother with telling him to not look at the full moon, just run away every time you see one.” Bardock says. “Once he turns into a Great Ape, he won’t have any recognition of friend or foe, okay? I’m tired of talking this much, deal with raising him yourself” Bardock says sharply. Bardock flies off into the distance, his energy trail racing alongside him. Gohan’s face twists into shock and stands their motionless. “What?! Did he fly? I thought only the Crane School knew that technique? But he didn’t look like a Crane School student… . Oh well, I guess that doesn’t matter anymore. I hope he does come back to meet the boy, every child should know who their father is.

  
  


**25 Years Later**

A barren wasteland, filled with little life except for weeds and 3 people. Bursts of red flash around the sky, each attack filled with pain to both sides. A short and chubby man looks on in the sidelines, fully knowing that this is one of many battles to decide Earth’s fate. Suddenly, a man in the background explodes in a flash of purple, dashes into the sky, and begins to form a small purple sphere in his hand. “Dodge this one, trash! Save yourself, and doom the Earth!” “Wh-What do I do?!  _ I’ll have to gamble on it!”  _ The red-skinned man says as he charges a blue sphere in his hands. “KAIOKEN TIMES THREE! KAMEHAMEHA!” Goku and Vegeta fire their respective beams, as they both crash and mold into each other. Goku, in a flashy burst of red and blue, releases one final push to overcome the Galick Gun. The Kaioken-Kamehameha pushes Vegeta into the air, and both of them disappear. The area goes silent as it was before.

Goku’s body pulses with intense pain put into a frenzy with his previous attacks. Through sheer willpower, he forces himself to continue on, knowing that the battle is not over yet. 

The blood vessels in Vegeta’s eyes become giant, as he yells and curses Goku. He’s furious, being beaten by low-class scum. He is even more furious when he realizes what it will take to beat Kakarot, but satisfies himself with the future suffering he knows will fall on the Saiyan peasant.

The two Saiyans and Yajirobe instantly forget their own situation, and their minds race towards the intense energy they feel in the distance.

**15 Minutes Earlier**

Bardock looks at the blue and green planet once again, this time smiling. “Kakarot, it’s time we meet again.” 


	3. Reunion

Goku and Vegeta shake under the sudden energy spike. “D-did you feel that Goku?” Yajirobe stammers. Goku says nothing, stunned. “This is unbelievable? This power is way greater than me and Vegeta’s? I would need to use the 4x Kaioken again, but there’s no way I can take both him and Vegeta!” Vegeta, on the other hand, is confused. He doesn’t recognize that he is beginning to grasp the power to sense energy, so he assumes it was head injuries. “Whatever Kakarot must've injured my head, I’ll have to get to a healing pod after I turn this rock to dust!” 

Gohan and Krillin were in the process of fleeing to Kame House. Suddenly, they both turn to the area where Goku is, nervous about leaving their comrade.

Bardock lowers his ki to be less noticeable and flies near the area of the fight. He sees Vegeta throw a Power Ball into the air, and turns his head away so he doesn't turn into a Great Ape. “An ape fight, huh? Alright Kakarot, time to show me what you can do!” Bardock is confused by the amount of fear on Kakarot’s face and notices that his tail is missing. “His tail is cut off?! Must’ve been the old man. Oh well, I know that Kakarot wins this fight. Now the interesting part is seeing how he can do it.”

After an intense battle, with Goku, Gohan, Krillin, and Yajirobe using all their trump cards. They finally take out Vegeta. Krillin was about to kill Vegeta, but Goku pleaded for his life. Vegeta flies out, vowing to get his revenge one day. Master Roshi, Bulma, Korin, Chi-Chi, and Grandpa Gohan arrive in a ship to pick up the tired heroes. Chi-Chi hugs Gohan, Bulma cries for the fallen heroes, and Roshi, Korin, and Grandpa Gohan are about to pick up Goku, when Bardock slowly comes out of hiding and begins walking towards Goku, with a smile on his face. Yajirobe, Bulma, Korin and Roshi shriek and run away, dropping Goku on his head, making him yell out loud. Chi Chi jumps back, ready to protect Gohan to the bitter end. “No, we can’t take any more fights.” Krillin yells with despair. “Vegeta took up all our energy.” Goku grunts, looking at Bardock with confusion. “Hey, he kinda looks like me.” Grandpa Gohan says “Hey! It’s you! It’s alright guys, this man won’t hurt us.” 

Bardock’s armor became dysfunctional after years of wear and tear, and as such, he wore a hide shirt and pants that he made from the hide of the animals on the planet he stayed on for the past 25 years. In 25 years, his power level increased from extensive training and his appearance, other than his clothing, didn't change much. However, 25 years in solitude pacified the Saiyan warrior(at least in a regular sense).

“Kakarot, that was quite the performance. You have skills, you were able to control the battle without even moving.” Bardock laughs, much to the disdain of the Z-Fighters. “Gohan, you know this guy?” Chi-Chi asks. “Yes, he’s Goku’s true father,” Grandpa Gohan says. “WHAT?!” Chi-Chi says. “Wow, first a father and now a brother.” “I have a father too?” Goku semi-chuckles. “Are you gonna try and make me into a space pirate like Raditz did?” “Space pirate? Oh, you mean Raditz! Where is he?” Bardock asks. Krillin sighs, saying “We have a lot to talk about, let’s talk about it on the ship.”

Goku and the other board the ship, and while Krillin consoles Bulma about the situation, Goku talks to Bardock. “Well, to start off, Raditz came here trying to make me join him in conquering planets. He then kidnapped my son, and in the battle, I had to sacrifice my life to beat him. I didn’t want to kill him, but he was gonna destroy all my friends!” “Hmm.” Bardock makes a grim frown. “What an idiot forgot that he was just being a pawn to Frieza. Oh well, he got what was coming to him. But what’s this about sacrificing your life, your right here?” Goku smiles, then says “You see, this planet has magic items called Dragon Balls. There are seven of them, and if you get them all, you can summon a Dragon that can grant almost any wish! We’ve used it a couple of times before to wish us back to life, but now that the creator of the Dragon Balls is dead, they don't work anymore.” “Oh, so that's why that blue-haired girl is crying so much.” Bardock states. “But it’s alright, those Saiyans said there are another set of Dragon Balls on a planet called Namek, so we can still bring them back!” Krillin says. Suddenly, the younger Gohan wakes up, still in a frenzy from the battle. Chi-Chi tries to calm him down, but to no avail, once he sees Bardock, he shrieks, bewildered by his setting. “Gohan, c-calm down!” Chi-Chi sputters. “This is your father’s father. He won't hurt you!” Gohan slows down, panting, and looking at a caveman version of his dad. “You weren’t that bad for a kid, standing up to Vegeta like that.” Bardock says. “But anyways, Kakarot, I wasn't here just to find you. I came here to tell you about your future.” Goku turns towards him, interested. “Before our planet was destroyed, our race worked for a man called Frieza. If you think we were bad, he was the devil. He forced our race to conquer planets for his profit, making us destroy entire populations. However, he became afraid of us, fearing that eventually one day, one of us would become a Super Saiyan, a warrior powerful enough to defeat him. So he destroyed our entire planet. Before that, I gained the power to foresee the future through visions and foresaw Frieza blowing up the planet. I was too injured to fight, so I had to take a ship and leave. However, my final vision involved you facing off against Frieza. I want you to help me take down Frieza, Kakarot.” “Wait a second!” Bulma yells “Why are you bringing him into this! We’re tired of you guys trying to recruit Goku for your space wars! Leave us alo-” “Shut up.” Bardock says monotone. Bulma begins to speak again, but thinks better of it and turns around. Turning towards Goku, Bardock says “Kakarot, I don’t really care if you want to fight Frieza or not, I don’t even care if you want to come with me or not. But I know this: my visions are accurate. You encountering Frieza will be fate, and if you're not strong enough, you're doomed.” “Well, if it’s destiny, I guess I have no choice, heh-heh. But is this Frieza guy really that strong?” “He was able to blow up our planet casually. Even if I had an entire army by my side, he would’ve defeated us without a sweat.” The Z-Fighters are stunned, nobody being able to say anything. Suddenly, Goku starts the conversation again with “Wow! If he’s really that strong, I’d love to take a go at him again.” Bulma smacks Goku in the face, yelling “You idiot! He’ll make roadkill out of you! And besides, have you forgotten about Yamcha and the others? We need to focus on them instead of some random stranger’s bloodthirst!” Bardock grunts at the insult, and points at Krillin, saying “Hey, baldy! You said something about the Saiyans talking about that Namekian planet? Did they have tiny computers on their eyes that looked like this?” Bardock takes out a scouter, showing it to the group. “Oh yeah, they did have scouters on!” Bardock’s eyes widen, and he sits back, thinking for a while. “Frieza, the man I talked about earlier, has access to every working scouter, and he also probably keeps tabs on Vegeta. He definitely knows about Namek now.” Bardock begins laughing, while Bulma and Krillin begin screaming. “So, you're saying that guy will be after the Dragon Balls too?!” they say together.” “Why are you scared?” Bardock asks. “It all works out, me and Kakarot fight Frieza, and you get to get your buddies back, it all works out!” “Hey, he’s right, your pretty smart dad!” Goku and Bardock begin laughing again, while Bulma and Krillin begin mourning for themselves.

During the course of the next ten days, many things happen to the group. Bulma investigates with King Kai and Mr. Popo how to get to Namek, Bardock and Goku talk about their respective lives on Planet Vegeta and Earth, Bardock talks about Frieza, Dodoria, Zarbon and the Ginyu Force. Gohan gets to know Bardock, and manages to strike up a conversation, even if Bardock doesn't think much of him. Eventually, a decision is made. Bardock, Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma will go to Namek. It took a lot of persuasion to get Chi-Chi to let Gohan go, especially after she heard of Frieza. However, Goku managed to persuade her by saying it would be great bonding time for Bardock and Gohan, much to Bardock’s chagrin. Goku also had to promise Bardock several times that as soon as he was out of the hospital, he would head to Namek. Bulma gets a look at Bardock’s ship and repairs his armor, and with Dr. Briefs upgrades it to hold more people, and to also have a floor for a Gravity Chamber. “Hey, look at that.” Bardock says as he puts on his armor, “Looks like you can do more than just complain.” After those ten days, Bardock and the other leave for Namek. Bardock spends almost all of his time in the Gravity Chamber, pushing his body to the limits, only taking breaks for the bathroom, eating and sleeping. Gohan looks on in shock at the warrior’s discipline. 

Eventually, they all get to Namek. Bardock senses Vegeta, Frieza, Zarbon, and Dodoria in the distance. “Alright, I’m gonna go off, I have business to handle.” Bardock begins to fly off, when Bulma screams “Hey, wait! If there are that many dangerous people here, you should stay here and protect us!” Bardock smiles, “Really? I remember you saying I was just some stranger that should leave you guys alone.” Before Bulma could make up an insult, two Frieza soldiers fly near the ship and get surprised when they see a Saiyan other than Vegeta. Before they can utter a word into their scouters, Bardock swiftly pushes two beams through both of them, and they fall into the ocean. “Geez, that would’ve been bad if they told Frieza about you,” Krillin says. “Yeah, I’m gonna have to lower my energy even more.” Bardock says, chuckling.

In the distance, a handsome green fellow and his malicious tiny boss sense a sudden power spike near them. “Lord Frieza,” said Zarbon “the scouts we’ve sent out have been eliminated. More so, we sensed a power level of around 10,000.” “10,000, huh? That’s not Vegeta, so it doesn’t bother me. It’s probably one of the Nameks, still, nothing compared to you and Dodoria. Kill them the next time they act up.”

“We’re doomed,” Bulma cries, “We’re fighting an entire army here.” “Maybe we should go back to Earth for now, and wait for Goku.” Krillin says. Immediately, Bardock turns around and kicks Krillin, launching him ten feet away. “What’s wrong with you people!” Bardock says with shock. Krillin looks at him, as the pain shines harder than his head. “Are your friends that unimportant to you? Are you that weak?” “No, that’s not it, we just don’t wanna have their sacrifices go in vain!” Bulma yells, staring down Bardock. “And what would you know about sacrifices?!” Bardock looks at her, unmoved, almost as if he predicted her thoughts before he ever met her. “Go.” Bulma, ready to continue the argument, is shocked by this sudden and calm statement. “If you guys are scared to fight, leave. I don’t need and don’t care about you. If you plan on having Kakarot baby you for the rest of your lives, do it. Take my ship and go back. All I know is that I refuse to step off this planet until either I defeat Frieza or die trying.” Bardock begins walking away from the ship until Krillin stops him. “Wait!” Gohan says. Bardock turns around, surprised that Gohan piped up. “Grandpa....take me with you.” Bulma gasps. “Gohan, don’t let him guilt trip you. It’s not that we don’t care, of course, we wanna wish them back, we just don’t want to get ourselves killed for no reason! I promise we’ll go back as soon as this Frieza guy and his goons leave!” “NO!” Gohan yells, making Bulma jump. “We need to do this now. If we leave, that Frieza guy would probably take them for himself forever! Grandpa told me about the stories of what he does to planets he finds useful, what’s stopping him from doing the same here. Mr...Mr. Piccolo and the others died to protect me, so I can at least put my life at risk too!” Bulma is about to make a rebuttal, but Krillin says. “Gohan’s right Bulma, we can’t always depend on Goku. Man, nothing ever goes easy for us, huh?” Krillin says while chuckling. Bardock says “Alright, that’s enough of our war speeches, blue-hair, what does that Dragon Ball radar say?” Bulma is about to take out the radar, when suddenly a legion of soldiers fly past the crew, dashing towards another area. “That must’ve been Frieza!” Bulma takes out the Dragon Radar, and exclaims “All those guys are heading to pick up a Dragon Ball! They already have four out of seven!” “Alright!” Krillin says, “I’m gonna find out what’s happening over there.” “Alright, I’m going too!” Gohan declares. Bardock also agrees, but warns “We can’t let Frieza find us out, especially me. If he does, he might send the Ginyu Force to deal with us. Let’s go, but stay sharp!” Bardock and the others quickly jump over the islands, leaving an angry and scared Bulma by herself.

Dodoria looks on as Frieza interrogates the puny Namekians, anxious. Vegeta recently came to the planet, and by killing Cui he boldly pronounced his betrayal to Frieza. The Saiyan even managed to surpass him and Zarbon’s power, of course he would be anxious! He knew that with Zarbon’s transformation, Vegeta could be put down, but if Vegeta gained another boost of power like that…

Gohan and Krillin cringe with anger at the slaughter of the Namekians. Bardock however, is more angry at the smug, confident smile of Frieza “Damn tyrant,” Bardock whispers, “you’ll get what’s coming to you soon.” Suddenly, despite Krillin’s arguments, Gohan jumps into action, kicking Dodoria. Bardock is shocked at the burst of anger from what was seemingly a pacified Earth child. Krillin grabs a scared Dende, and flies into the distance along with Gohan. Frieza is shocked, and demands that Dodoria find them. Dodoria chases after them, while Bardock slowly pursues by jumping islands, smiling. “That kid has some guts after all, nice. I guess my Saiyan blood still has a few drops in him.” 

Dodoria chases Krillin and Gohan, filled with rage. Krillin quickly throws Dende to Gohan and blinds Dodoria with a Solar Flare(and almost hits Bardock with it in the process). Krillin and the others hide out at the base of a nearby mountain. Dodoria scatters around the area, unable to find the trio without a scouter. Suddenly somebody rises into the air and quickly kicks Dodoria in his face, making him launch into the ground. Blood jets out of Dodoria’s nose as he staggers up, bewildered. “W-who did t-that? V-Vegeta?!” The fighter slowly lands, claiming. “Tora. Fasha. Shugesh. Borgos. You’ll all be avenged today, my comrades.”


	4. Bardock's Rampage

Dodoria stumbles up to his feet, confused by what he sees. “W-who are you?! A Saiyan?! There should only be a few of you!” “You really forgot me Dodoria?” Bardock says, cracking his knuckles. “Don’t you remember the mission to Planet Meat.” “Your that low-class who’s team we killed! How are you still alive?” Dodoria asks. “Heh, you’d think I die from such a cowardly weakling. I’m done talking to you! First you, then Frieza, and then this entire damn organization! It’s a good thing that Namekian destroyed your scouters, this makes things easier.” Dodoria laughs, both amused and angry “If you knew what was good for you, you would’ve stayed on a wasteland planet until you rotted! I’m gonna make you suffer!” Dodoria, screams, and launches a giant beam towards Bardock, shaving the landscape of its grass. Bardock calmly leaps up and gets behind Dodoria. “Quit it, there’s nothing you can do.” Dodoria swings his arm at Bardock, who quickly grabs it, and slams Dodoria into the ground. Dodoria bounces back up, and Bardock kicks him in the head, launching him into another island. Dodoria gets up, panting. Bardock lands on the island and slowly starts walking to Dodoria. “W-wait, wait stop! Look, it’s not like I wanted to kill your friends, I was just following orders!” Bardock ignores him, and puts right hand in front of him, charging a ki ball. Dodoria realizes that his lies won’t affect Bardock, and flies into the air, trying to escape. Bardock looks up, unaffected, and aims towards Dodoria, shouting, “REBELLION TRIGGER!” A giant ki wave flies out of his hands, evaporating Dodoria.

Gohan, Krillin, and Dende look on in awe at Bardock’s power. “Wow, I sure am glad we have this guy on our side,” Krillin says, laughing. Gohan gasps and whispers “Guys look over there. It’s Vegeta!” As Gohan said, Vegeta lands down a few feet away from Bardock, smiling.

  
“Another Saiyan? And you took down Dodoria effortlessly, your really something else. But, I wonder, do you have any connection to the Saiyan named Kakarot.” Bardock smiles back, chuckling. “Yeah, he’s my son. He really did a number on you back on Earth, I’m surprised you're not heading back for revenge. “Oh, I’ll deal with him soon enough. But I’m surprised you survived Planet Vegeta’s destruction.” “Yeah, and now I’m getting ready for payback. You want to help me to defeat Frieza, prince?” “I was already planning on killing Frieza, but what does he have to do with you?” “Don’t you know? He was the one who blew up the planet!” Vegeta’s eyes widen but quickly go back to normal. “I see...seems like something he would do. The coward was always afraid of our power, and he was too happy with losing too many men. Sure, I’ll work with you, but on one condition. This planet has a set of magic-” “Yeah, yeah” Bardock says “I know about the Dragon Balls. But if you're hoping to get a wish with them, your out of luck. I’m working with the Earthlings to get back their friends you killed. It was the only way I could get Kakarot to work with me.” Gohan and Krillin shake with fear, angry at Bardock for revealing their location. “You’d rather work with Kakarot and those Earthlings than me?” Vegeta asks, slightly ticked. “Yes,” Bardock says bluntly “Because I know that the one who has the best chance of beating Frieza is Kakarot, and Im willing to bet on it.” Vegeta sighs, lamenting “All the remaining Saiyans are either weaklings, fools, or both. It looks like you really are willing to die. Very well.” Vegeta charges at Bardock ready to punch him, but Bardock catches his hand and stares him down. Bardock says, “Listen, prince, I have a job to do, don’t get in my way.” Vegeta flies out of his grasp and tries to blast him, but Bardock punches him in the gut and sledgehammers him into the ground. “What the hell! How is he so strong? Is this how Raditz lost so easily? But no, I didn’t even see him when I was fighting Kakarot, so where was he all this time?” Bardock begins to pummel Vegeta, and after 30 seconds, leaves him on the floor, disheveled. Bardock laughs at Vegeta, and says “Since your a fellow Saiyan, and we both want Frieza dead, I won’t kill you this time. But if you get in my way again, you’ll be sorry.” Bardock flies off with Gohan and the others, leaving Vegeta on the ground, in shock of his quick defeat.

Bardock and the others regroup with Bulma at the ship, and as they have a quick lunch, Bulma reveals the news, that Goku is on his way to Namek, training in intense gravity. While Krillin and Gohan celebrate, Bardock looks to the skies, thinking “ _ Kakarot, I don’t know what you’ve done on Earth, but be ready for the most important battle in your life!” _


	5. Bardock's Rampage, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bardock and Gohan take trips to gain Dragon Balls, and come out getting even more than they hoped for. Meanwhile, Goku learns of the situation on Namek, and Vegeta hatches a plan to defeat both Bardock and Frieza!

“What the hell?! Do you call this a meal? I’ll starve before I even get to throw a punch at Frieza at this rate!” Bardock grumbles at Bulma, accusing her of making little preparation for the trip. “You can blame yourself for taking double lunches! I’m trying to make sure we have enough food for the return trip, so be grateful your eating at all right now!” Bulma sticks her tongue out at Bardock, enraging him more. “If Kakarot was even a pinch closer to being a regular Saiyan, your head would’ve been blown off the moment he saw your face. You reek of annoyance.” Bulma is taken aback by Bardock’s bluntness, and is about to make a comeback, but decides against it and just grunts harshly. She instead turns towards Dende, while Bardock eats his apparently small portion. Dende was conversing with Krillin about Namekian life, mentioning how they are asexual and don’t need food. Upon hearing this, Bardock quickly snatches Dende’s bowl, calls “DIBS!” and dumps it into his mouth. Bulma yells, nagging the warrior “You're so rude! Just because he said he doesn't need food, that doesn't mean you have to be so hostile-your not even listening to me!” Bardock changes the subject, stating, “I’m surprised Vegeta learned how to sense ki so quickly, it took me a while. But I’m sure he won’t be bothering us for a while. Anyways, what’s our next stage of action? I’m sure you’ve guys sensed that Namekian village, I think it's good to go now. None of the Frieza Force can sense ki, so our best hope to get the Dragon Balls are now, where they have no scouters.” “But what about taking Dende to the Grand Elder? He has a Dragon Ball too.” Krillin asks. “Baldy, take the kid to his dad, and Gohan, go get the Dragon Ball.” “What are you gonna do, Grandpa?” Gohan asks. “I’ll probably just wander around because I’m certainly not staying here,” Bardock claims, staring down Bulma. “Grandpa, cmon, please stay with Bulma, who's gonna protect her if one of Frieza’s men get here?” “Absolutely not! I’ll die of boredom! Besides, as I said, she reeks of annoyance! And besides, maybe even if a Frieza soldier got here, maybe I’d just look the other way!” Again, before Bulma could say anything, Gohan quickly stutters “Okay, Krillin, could you stay and let Bardock get Dende to the Elder.” “Fine!” Bulma says “I wouldn't want such a disgusting jerk near me anyways!” Bardock and Dende fly off towards Guru’s house, while Gohan flies to the nearby Namekian village.

Meanwhile, Goku is on his way to Namek, training at 100X Earth’s gravity! While training, King Kai talks to him, telling him that Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Piccolo have arrived at his planet. Yamcha uses King Kai’s telepathy ability to talk to Goku. “So, Goku, is everything alright down there?” “Yeah, don’t worry guys, we’ll bring you back soon! I even got some extra help! Apparently, my dad is still alive, and we made a deal that if he helps us get the Dragon Balls, I’ll help him take down this Frieza guy.” “WHAT?! FRIEZA” King Kai interrupts, “No way! He’s way too strong for you! Besides, what if this is all a trap set up by your father to get you into Frieza’s hands!” “If Frieza really is that strong of a guy,” Goku logically considers, “why would he have to use such a cheap trick in the first place?” “I DON’T CARE! YOU'RE NOT FIGHTING HIM AND THAT’S FINAL! Do one thing to anger him and you can kiss your planet goodbye!” Yamcha is about to get back on the topic, but Piccolo shoves him out of the way. “Goku, don’t listen to this guy, just hurry up and do whatever it takes to revive me, so I can fight this Frieza guy too.” Piccolo hurries King Kai to start the training, but to him and Tien’s chagrin, they’ll need to find the sense of humor they never had.

Zarbon is searching for the last two Dragon Balls, pissed that he has no scouters to find the villages. In boredom, he flies past seemingly similar islands, as he flies straight into the fist of an amused Bardock. “Woah, this seems WAYYY too convenient. I catch both Dodoria and Zarbon alone? You guys are making this way too easy, at this rate Frieza is gonna be waiting on a bunch of corpses! Y’know Zarbon, I don’t hate you nearly as much as Dodoria, so I’ll kill you quicker.” Zarbon recovers, shocked by what he’s seeing. “Aren’t you that Saiyan Dodoria was sent to kill all those years ago. What are you doing here-” Bardock elbows Zarbon in the face, and kicks him into the distance. Bardock quickly finishes him off with an energy wave, with no difficulty. Dende, who was hiding on a nearby island, looks on with shock. “ _ With him around, we may actually have a chance of beating Frieza!” _

Gohan makes it to the Namekian village and gets the Four-Star Dragon Ball with ease. “You guys should hide, or one of the bad guys could find you! And thanks again for the Dragon Ball!” “No problem kid,” one of the villagers says, “I hope you get your wish, and thanks for the tip!” Gohan flies off, happy that things are easy for once.

Appule was bored, tired of staying in such a nasty looking planet. He’s on a mission to search out any Namekian villages, so the last two Dragon Balls could be found. To his surprise, all he found was an empty village, even though there was no damage to the buildings or any corpses. “ _ They hid?! Lord Frieza isn’t going to be happy about this, and what is he gonna do to me?”  _ Appule knew he couldn’t return empty-handed, and he thought about pinning the job of making a report on some rookie. However, in the corner of his eye, he found a small body making a sluggish walk. On closer inspection, it was Vegeta! Appule shakes with fear and thinks about fleeing, but realizes that Vegeta is injured, and thinks of an idea. He quickly dashes to Vegeta, and before the prince is ready to fight back, Appule knocks him out with his gun. “ _ What a catch, Dodoria probably did this, Lord Frieza is sure gonna love this!” _

Nail senses an incredible power in the distance and finds a Saiyan flying alongside Dende. “Grand Elder, the Saiyan is approaching, I’ll have to stop him.” “No need Nail, let the man in. He may be aggressive, but I don’t see much evil in him. Besides, Dende is with him, and the child wouldn’t betray us. Nail complies and goes outside to meet Bardock. “Nail, I’m so glad you're okay!” Dende says with joy. “I’m glad to see you too Dende, the Grand Elder knows the situation, and would be glad to have you.” Bardock whispers, “Hey kid, just get me the Dragon Ball so I can leave, okay?” “The Grand Elder wants to see you too, Saiyan. It’s the only way we’ll give you the Dragon Ball.” “Ugh, fine.” Bardock and Dende enter the house, while Nail speaks about the elder’s worsening condition. Bardock gives out a simple “Woah.” upon seeing the size of the Namekian. “Thank you Saiyan, for saving my child” says Guru. “It wasn’t me, you have the kid with me to thank for that.” Bardock says. “Many of my people have died at the hands of this menace, they are seeking the Dragon Balls, right?” “Yeah, but don’t worry about it, I’ll deal with them. But let’s cut to the chase, can I have that Dragon Ball on your chair?” “I will give it to you in due time, but first I have a few questions for you.” Guru sits up and clears his throat after a coughing fit. “Have you ever heard of the legend of the Super Saiyan.” Bardock’s eyes widen up, interested. “How do you know about Super Saiyans? Are they even real?” “Come here Saiyan, step next to me.” Bardock does as he says, and Guru places his hand on his hair. “Allow me to read your past.” Guru goes back decades ago, looking at years of Bardock annihilating races for Frieza. He then finds Bardock fighting the Kannassans, having visions of the future, and fleeing Planet Vegeta. He looks at Bardock’s daily training on an almost uninhabitable planet, fighting with the wildlife. “You might be the Super Saiyan, who knows.” Bardock chuckles, “Don’t get my hopes up, old man. I might be strong, but that means nothing to me if I can’t kill Frieza and avenge my race.” “You're a devoted man, but also kind to those you care for, and a great leader. Your courage and will have granted you the Dragon Ball.” Guru picks up the ball and places it in Bardock’s hand. “However, my time in the living world is ending, so you should get the other Dragon Balls quickly.” “Sure thing, thanks for the tip. Now if you excuse me, I need to get back to my ship.” “One more thing. You have some dormant power left inside you. I can push your power to the limits your body can allot.” “I do? Well, sure try it, but I doubt I have any dormant pow-” Bardock surges with power, releasing a shockwave of ki. “Woah, this is really something! It’s still not enough to beat Frieza, but its a step in the right direction! Thanks old man! By the way, can you do this for anyone?” “Yes, as long as they have dormant power I can do it, but the results can vary.” “Good.  _ I’ll have to bring the other two here, especially the kid. Kakarot said that he gets really strong when he’s angry, maybe I can use that.” _ Bardock gets ready to leave, telling Dende “I’m gonna come back with the other two guys you saw, I’ll be right back.” In a bright flash of speed, Bardock zooms into the troposphere. 

Meanwhile, Gohan returns to Bulma and Krillin with the Dragon Ball, and he celebrates, even more, noticing that a more powerful Bardock is coming with another Dragon Ball.

Appule slacks on the job, playing on a handheld he swiped from a rookie’s living quarters. “ _ Man, these guys are too gullible. Dangit I lost, this game sucks!” _ Appule looks over at Vegeta, with no pity. “We’ll definitely find out where those Dragon Balls are once Vegeta squeals, he-heh.” Appule stops laughing once Vegeta opens his eyes, and has no time to scream when Vegeta blows every piece of him into bits. Vegeta fakes an escape to trick Frieza, and dashes through the ship to get to the Dragon Balls. “If only Kakarot and his bastard of a father knew their place like Radtiz, then they wouldn’t have to suffer my wrath!” Vegeta gets into Frieza’s room, where 5 Dragon Balls are located. Vegeta smiles “First Frieza and then the low-class scum!”


	6. Mighty Battle on the Planet Namek

Frieza rushes outside, looking all over the landscape. “Damn it! He shouldn’t have been able to swipe the Dragon Balls under my nose like this! And where the hell is Zarbon and Dodoria?! Vegeta couldn’t have taken them both down! Hey, you!” Frieza points at a soldier, who stands tall and salutes. “Yes, sir!” “Call the Ginyu Force immediately! Tell them to get here right now!” “Okay, sir!” The soldier yells as he runs toward the command center.”

Vegeta lands near where he threw the Dragon Balls and gathers them into the corner of an island. “Take that Frieza! HA! Now I’ll only need the other two. Those Earthlings must have one.” Vegeta begins to fly towards the hideout where Krillin, Gohan and Bulma are. “Even if I can’t fight Bardock yet, I’ll swipe the Dragon Balls and make my wish!” 

“Alright, that’s one Dragon Ball. And Bardock is coming soon with another. But how are we gonna get the other five?” “Hey, I’ll take anything I can get,” Krillin says as he lounges on a rock. “What I’m more interested in is how Bardock got stronger, his power level jumped!” “Maybe he was holding out on us,” Gohan claims. “Maybe, guess we’ll just ask when he gets back.” 

Suddenly, Vegeta jumps out of the sea into the air, onto the ground, and dashes to Bulma. “Vegeta?!” Krillin exclaims. “No, BULMA!” Vegeta grabs Bulma by her tunic, and forms a small ki blast in his hand. “Vegeta, don’t!” Krillin pleads. “If you care about the woman and your own life, you better give me that Dragon Ball!” Gohan hesitates but complies. Vegeta throws Bulma down on the ground, and exclaims, “Good, you all get to live longer, that’s six to the collection!” Vegeta flies off, with Krillin and Bulma screaming, “SIX?!”    
  
A few minutes later, Bardock casually lands on the island and stares at everyone. “Hey, what’s up with the long faces?” “Vegeta took our Dragon Ball.” Bulma says, despondent. “Now he has six.” “What?! You guys didn’t even fight back?” “He took Bulma hostage, there was nothing we could do.” Krillin exclaims. “Tch, whatever, I’ll be back. Stay here.” Bardock tosses his Dragon Ball on the ground and flies off to pursue Vegeta.

Quickly, Bardock reaches Vegeta’s hideout, with the prince waiting for him. The two Saiyans stare at each other, waiting to see who throws the first punch, but Bardock instead begins to talk. “Listen, I know I said the next time you got in my way I would kill you. But I’m feeling pretty happy, so I have a better idea. Let’s make a deal.” “What sort of deal?” Vegeta says, still wary of Bardock, due to being outclassed by him. “Look, your still way too weak to even hurt me yet. But, you should be able to get strong enough to be of use to me. So this is what we’ll do. Give me two Dragon Balls, so I get three and you get four. Then, we’ll take down Frieza. After that, we fight one-on-one to decide who gets the wish. If we fight now, Frieza could take advantage, and to be honest, I’d rather you get the chance to kill me than let him do it.” Vegeta ponders on this plan, shocked by Bardock’s diplomacy, and smirks. “Very well, I want Frieza dead also.” Vegeta kicks over two Dragon Balls, and says “You better not try to play any tricks.” Bardock laughs, “Your one to talk, immortality? What type of Saiyan needs to be immortal? Your just supposed to win. Bardock and Vegeta fly back towards the others. “Bardock, what are you doing with Vegeta?!” Bulma cries. “Hey, I know this seems awkward, but I made a deal with Vegeta. He’s gonna help us defeat Frieza first, and then we’ll fight it out for the Dragon Ball. Anyways, I have something to say to you two.” Bardock takes Gohan and Krillin to the side, and Bulma hurries over, afraid of Vegeta. Bardock whispers “The Grand Elder of the Namekians has the ability to release all your untapped potential. You guys should go, its a quick way to get stronger.” Gohan and Krillin nod and fly off into the distance. Bardock turns towards Vegeta, while Bulma steps into the ship. “Where are those two running off to? Y’know, I already hid the Dragon Balls.” Vegeta smirks, thinking that Bardock made a mistake. “Don’t get scared, I’m holding up my deal. They're going somewhere else, okay? Besides, it doesn’t matter that you hid them, we have a radar.” Vegeta’s eyes widen, and he grunts. “So that’s how you got them so quickly.” Bardock takes a giant rock out of a nearby cliff, punches it into a trapezoid shape, and sits on it. “Anyways, let’s talk. I have some questions of my own. First of all, how did you survive Planet Vegeta’s destruction?” Vegeta says, “I was on a mission with two Saiyans. They’re both dead, one was crippled so I killed him, and the other died by Kakarot.” “The one Kakarot killed was my son. Was he useful.” “Not at all, he was a total weakling!” Vegeta laughs, and Bardock glares at him. 

Meanwhile, Goku is still training, at 100X Earth’s gravity. King Kai is also training the dead fighters, except for Piccolo, who spends most of his time in silent meditation. Unknown to Goku, each time he pushes himself to near death and recovers with a Senzu Bean, he increases his power drastically. 

In a few hours, Krillin and Gohan reach the Grand Elder, reunite with Dende, and unlock their potential. They then come back, and for the next four days, wait for Goku to arrive. “This is weird.” Bardock says, “Frieza has had to realize by now that Zarbon and Dodoria are dead. Maybe he’s calling in for reinforcements.” Suddenly, five strong powers appear in the distance, and Vegeta jumps up in shock. “The Ginyu Force?!” Bardock starts stretching, muttering, “Geez, Kakarot sure likes to take his sweet time. Alright guys, let’s deal with this. We’re leaving the Dragon Balls with you, blue-hair, don’t do anything stupid.” Bulma just gives a harsh grunt as the fighters fly towards a barren island.

“Why are we just waiting here?” Gohan asks. “Becuase, the Ginyu Force is probably gonna bring scouters, and we don’t want them to find the Dragon Balls.” Bardock says. “Now get ready, here they come.

  
  


Soon enough, the GInyu Force arrives, standing confidently. “Yo, Vegeta!” Ginyu exclaims. Reccoome looks around, and states, “The Dragon Balls aren’t here. Rats, makes our job harder. How about you help us, Vegeta?”

Vegeta snarls. “You’d think I’d ever tell you where they are?! The Dragon Balls are mine, so forget it!” Krillin shakes under the tremendous power he senses, while Bardock stands calmly, staring at Ginyu himself. “Well then, it looks like we’re just gonna have to beat the info out of you.” “I’ll fight Vegeta, the rest of you can play Rock-Paper-Scissors to see who gets the rest.” “Aw, cmon Captain” the squad cries, “Why do you always get all the fun?!” “Fine” Ginyu relents. “I’ll fight the mystery Saiyan over there, and you guys play. The winner gets Vegeta, and the runner-up gets the two little ones. After a quick game of Rock-Paper-Scissors (with Bardock’s patience diminishing), it's decided that Reccome will fight Vegeta, and Guldo will fight Gohan and Krillin. “Alright! I get Vegeta!” Reccome yelled with glee. “Man, why did I get stuck with two runts?” 

“I’m surprised a Saiyan managed to remain under Lord Frieza’s radar for so many years. I’ll fix that mistake real quick.” Bardock chuckles, “If it's so easy, just shut up and do it.” Bardock begins powering up, the ground shaking, and his aura exploding. Ginyu and the rest of the forces scouter’s sense a power level of over 100,000, and before Ginyu can react, Bardock punches him into the air, and flies up alongside him.

Ginyu spits and smirks. “A power level of 100,000, astounding. You may even be stronger than Vegeta!” Bardock rolls his eyes, “Yeah, maybe.” Ginyu fires several beams, and Bardock whizzes out of the way of each one. But, after dodging the last one, Ginyu gets behind Bardock and kicks him into a mountain. “My power level is 120,000! Let’s see if you can fill the gap.” Ginyu fires another beam, and this time it connects. The mountain explodes, creating a giant mushroom cloud alongside it.

Gohan looks into the distance and yells out Bardocks name. “Bardock will be fine Gohan, lets focus on this guy first!” says Krillin. Gohan reluctantly nods, and flies alongside him to rush Guldo. However, Guldo’s time stop effectively halts any possible damage. An enraged Guldo uses his paralysis, but before he can finish Gohan and Krillin, Vegeta chops off his head and blasts it. Giving no time for our heroes to rest, Vegeta and Reccome face off.

Bardock rises out of the rubble, with a slight crack in his armor, and his body covered in scratches. “Is that all you got? It’s gonna take way more than that to put a dent in me.” Bardock and Ginyu clash into each other, both of the fighters sending a flurry of punches and kicks, blocking each respective one. Bardock lands a solid punch on Ginyu, grabs his arm, and punches his scouter. He then sends another flurry of punches onto Ginyu’s face, and is about to blow him away, but Ginyu grabs his fist, heatbutts him, and blasts him into the water. Ginyu sends a flurry of blasts into the sea, with none of them hitting Bardock. “ _ Just as I thought. He can’t sense my energy. Now I can hit him with everything I got _ !” Bardock dashes into the air, right behind Ginyu, and before Ginyu can even react, Bardock hand impales Ginyu, sending him reeling back. “There you go. Now that your injured like that, I can take you down even faster.” Ginyu looks at Bardock, and then makes a slight smile. “Your pretty strong. I might have a use for that body of yours.” Ginyu straightens up, and stretches his hands out. But before he can use his signature technique, Bardock knocks him down into an island, and dashes back to where the others are.    
  
“Crap! I forgot about Vegeta and the others! Their energy is faint, those guys are way out of their league!”

Meanwhile, Gohan is on the ground, his breath ragged, bleeding and struggling to get up. However, before he can even get up, Reccome sends a volley of blasts towards him. Gohan barely dodges each one, dust exploding into his face. Reccome appears behind him, and slams him onto the ground. Krillin begs Gohan to stay down, but Gohan gets back up. “I...I-’m the son of Son Goku” he coughs. “And the grandson of Bardock!” I won’t quit! I won’t stop till I win!” With all of his conviction mustered up, Gohan takes one last lunge at Recoome. Reccome jumps above him and prepares a kick.


End file.
